A Weyrling Rescue
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Weyrling Grounds
Cradled in a cup shapped bite out of the mountain, this wide, grassy flat has become home for Xanadu's weyrling dragons. It's set surprisingly high above the level of the beach, visible from the eastern side of the grounds where a long path snakes its way down the hill to the sand dunes below. All other sides to the grounds are bordered by the hard granite cliffs, two entrances clearly visible. One is merely human sized and leads deep into the mountain, to the Caverns. The other is broad and high, the entrance to the Weyrling Barracks.


Alhenaeth rumbles as him and his life mate walk on to the grounds. Alhenaeth walks with his dainty steps as usual, his little bronzen form not really keeping him from taking as much room as he needs. C'ian just looks up at his bronze and sighs. "They have a few more lessons, then they'll be in their own weyrs. I've told you-" «I don't care. They should know when to move out of my way.» "You could be nicer to them, you know?"

Niva is out on the grounds with Kilaueth, the gold's wings extended, moving the slowly up and down, furling and unfurling them, doing her general exercises, perhaps for lack of anything better to do. Niva is a fair distance away, standing there with her arms crossed, watching her lifemate carefully. "I don't care, Kila… Do them anyway. Its good habit to be in." Glancing over at the appearance of the Weyrleader and his bronze lifemate, she raising a hand in greeting.

C'ian catches Niva out the corner of his eye and turns his head to her, smiling brightly and waving enthusiastically before, «PAY ATTENTION!» Caspian just ducks his head and looks back up to the Bronze. «They could learn to be a bit nicer to /me/. We /are/ the leaders after all.» "Yes, but that doesn't mean that we should boss everyone around. You know that." «It's not bossing them around when what I say is right.» Caspian just sighs and smiles to Niva as he walks to her. "Exercises?"

Niva laughs softly at the pair, glancing back over to Kila as the gold stops. "Kila! Really now… Finish up and you can do something else." The gold snorts as she extends her wings once more. « You boss so much. You don't know what's right. We're right. » And she whuffles in Alhenaeth's direction. See… He's got the right idea. Niva sighs softly, shaking her head as she does so, before managing a bit of a smile and a nod to C'ian. "At least that's the idea.."

Kirilla enters the grounds with a pair if weyrlings - Z'mra and N'aia, who'd been behind during the introduction to manned flight lesson. Their lifemates, Corlath and Delwaith, glide out to the center and start exercises, each warbling a greeting to the Weyrleader and Kilaueth. Kirilla, meanwhile, carries out a clipboard, expression relaxed when she notices and salutes C'ian. "Nive to see you out here."

C'ian returns the salute to Kirilla. "Good day there, Weyrling Master," he says with a smile. He turns to look at the Gold for a moment, considering, then he looks to Niva. "The more she agrees with Alhenaeth, the more I worry." Alhenaeth makes his way in front of Kila and whuffles, before tilting his head. « I don't do those anymore. » Caspian grins and looks at his dragon. "Start exercising bud." «WHAT?!» Ignoring his dragon he looks to Kirilla. "I'm slightly worried daughter might be taking after father."

Niva whimpers slightly, the gold taking advantage of the fact that Alhenaeth says he doesn't do exercises any more to flip her wings shut. « I'm finished. I don't need to exercise anymore. » "Kila!" Niva hides her face in her hands and sighs for a long before shaking her head. "You're worried… I'm worried more.." Afterall, like father like… daughter? And one of them is enough.

Kirilla chuckles, then nods. "I've noticed that quite a lot, actually. Niva and Kilaeuth are the same way you and Alhenaeth were when we were weyrlings." She pauses, then calls at Niva, "Push it on her mind, Niva. You have to be able to control her - especially when we start going Between in a couple days. If she can't obey then she won't be allowed to go." Another pause, then she directs the two others, "Z'mra, Naia, they're good. You two get stretched now." And in the meantime, Pheriannath rumbles at Kilaueth. « You're still a weyrling. And you're behind. » Then she promptly turns her attention to the two browns. « Glide round once and fly up around twice to limber up and they can mount. »

C'ian noddles slightly. "That's what I'm a little worried about." He turns his attention to the gold and bronze. "If we have two of them, we might have difficulty with relations with other weyrs." He scowls, continuing. "Alhenaeth already has Western's Weyrwoman's sour side." Alhenaeth snorts and wheels his head to Kila. «You still have to exercise.» Caspian grins evilly and mentally pushes Alhenaeth. With a loud snort, the bronze's wings are up and extended. Another snort as he begins exercising. Caspian beams. "He can't fight too much with me." He smiles at Niva. "If I can control him, you can control Kilaueth."

Kilaueth snorts rather indignantly, turning her head to peer at Pheriannath and then at Niva as she gets it from both of them at once. « I'm not behind. I'm with the rest. And I don't want to do the exercises now. I've done enough. » A long pause and she snorts audibly before extending her wings once more. « Fine. If it'll make you stop bothering me. » Niva bites her lip and nods quickly to Kirilla, before glancing back and forth between the two. How bad is it, exactly, that they're so much alike? "But.." And she sighs slightly, shrugging it off as the gold grumbles all the while as she finishes her exercises.

Kirilla nods at the two weyrlings, watching their lifemates in the sky before she glances back at Niva. "Are you out here to fly today or just boredom?"

Alhenaeth snorts again and looks to be straining in his exercises. Caspian's face goes from light hearted to a little bit of concern. He motions Niva and Kirilla closer to him and starts pointing out Alhenaeth's form. "It looks like his wing joints are stressing a little. And his wings seem a little sluggish and slow. What do you two think?" Alhenaeth, not liking this attention turns his head away from rider and starts to fold his wings in. "KEEP THEM UP AND EXERCISE," a roar from Caspian.

Niva slips a bit closer to C'ian as she eyes Alhenaeth, Kilaueth attempting to take advantage of her lifemate's distraction, wings starting to fold up, although at a silent command and a glare from Niva she continues, albeit slower. Tilting her head she blinks at Alhenaeth with a tilt of her head. "I.. I'm not sure?" And then she glances over at Kirilla with a half-smile. "Mostly boredom, ma'am.."

Kirilla hmms at C'ian, then glances at Niva. "If you'd like to ride, run in and grab your straps and hurry back out - send Kilaeuth to glide and fly with the others first." And then she turns to eyes C'ian. "A bit, I suppose. How much has he flown lately?"

C'ian thinks for a moment. "It may not have been since Zaislinth's last flight. He doesn't fly a lot if he doesn't have too. He hasn't since we left Typhoon wing." He leans closer to Kirilla. "I think he secretly misses that wing." He smiles to Niva. "They use to call him the Bronze Typhoon of Doom." With good reason too. Alhenaeth watches Kila and starts to slow down, to match her pace. « I don't like how they boss us around. »

Niva ponders for a long moment as she considers it before nodding and bolting towards the barracks quickly. "Kila! You can stop!" And the rest of the directions are given silently as the weyrling disappears, reappearing not too long later with straps dangling from her arms. Kilaueth pushes off the ground at the first opportunity, slowly starting her first lap, alternating between long glides and deep wing strokes. Good thing she was doing stretches before, no? Taking a few deep breaths as she returns, pausing near Kirilla and C'ian she just stands there, waiting as she listens to the two others talk.

Kirilla snickers. "He misses being under the command of a /mere green/?" The weyrlingmaster laughs aloud, then her expression turns serious. "Guess you get soft being up in the administrative offices, huh? I'm no dragonhealer, but you learn a few things in this job.. I'd just try to fly more - but not a lot. After all - you want to stay the leader, the dragon needs to be fit enough to fly high and long.. can't have the queens dropping out of the sky." She turns her attention to the weyrlings, waits for them to finish. "Kay.. put the straps on, mount up and I'll check the straps."

C'ian nods and walks over to Alhenaeth, smiling to Niva. "Have fun flying love." He makes his way to the bronze and glares up at him. "We're flying more often you realize." « I'm not getting rusty, if that's what you're inferring. » "I don't care how egotistical you are, and how well you think you can fly. We're practicing, because I will not tolerate your whining if you lose another flight." That one seem to have stuck Alhenaeth as his exercises slow, and then seem to double effort.

Niva nods as Kilaueth backwings after finishing her laps, nearly losing her balance but for her overlarge paws. See! They're useful for something! As she settles, Niva carefully gets the straps over her lifemate's head, double checking everything herself, pausing before she mounts up. "You'd lose your other bedmate, you know, Casp-dear, if you can't fly. What fun would that be?" Even if it is only a sometimes bedmate. And with that she's grasping the straps and climbing up, settling as she smiles to C'ian and nods. "Thanks…" And she carefully straps herself on, waiting patiently to be checked.

Away from Kilaueth, Kirilla chuckles at C'ian. "He reminds me of a weyrling again." Then she cuts off and strides forward, checking Z'mra and Naia's straps deftly, then hurrying across to Niva and checking. "Allright. All three, off you go." Pheriannath launches into the air with them. « Just come right up this time. Fly round once, then glide up high. Try to gauge the thermals to bring yourselves further up. »

Away from Kilaueth, Alhenaeth wheels his head up to watch the other dragons rise in the air, then turns his head to Caspian, hopeful. Caspian, on the other hand shakes his heads. "No flying for you right now. I know how you get when you fly with others in the air." He turns his own head to watch the weyrlings lift off, special attention on one. "I don't want to risk the lives of our new riders." He makes his way over to Kirilla, calling over his shoulder, "Keep exercising." Alhenaeth is obedient for once and starts his wings strokes again.

Niva is good to go. Yes! Squeezing her eyes shut for a long moment, she tightens her hold on the straps that cross over her legs, before grinning. "Come on, Kila… Lets go." The gold crouches, spreading her wings with a final snort to Alhenaeth, launching herself upwards as she takes care to avoid the other weyrlings, beginning a low lap. Reaching where she began, she works on gaining altitude, paying attention as she searches for a thermal to help.

Away from Kilaueth, Kirilla ponders for awhile before suggesting. "You might start him the way weyrlings start, only a little farther along - normally I have them go two laps gliding low, three flying about tree height. Come down, strap and mount up, then fly varying heights about five laps, adding another lap every day. These guys are at.. around thirty laps now. As y ou can see, they could probably go another five easily, but I won't risk their wings - a lot more delicate than a fully grown bronze." Pheriannath keeps an eye on the weyrlings, then wings over to fly alongside Niva and Kilaeuth. « Good - the heated thermals help you up, cool help you down, remember. There ought to be a good couple layers of warm ones coming up - try to take advantage of them all without losing control of your wings - keep them even with eachother. »

Away from Kilaueth, C'ian nods and stays quiet for now. He doesn't like the thought of going through all his flights again. But suddenly, he has a re-perked interest in making sure his dragon is in perfect flying shape. Perhaps the recent wave of new riders has gotten his mind on other things. Perhaps there's a new reason for his dragon to be fast.

Away from Kilaueth, Kilaueth takes advantage of the advice given to her by Pheriannath, snorting as she focuses on keeping her wings steady as she slips into a warm thermal, wings shifting as she does so, tilting from side to side before regaining her balance, Niva's fingers white as they're wrapped around the straps. "You're doing it, Kila… Just concentrate. Relax.." As they gain altitude and slip into the next level of thermals, the transition is a bit easier, the gold faltering less.

Away from Kilaueth, Kirilla nods, concentration moving from C'ian to the weyrlings in the high sky. Then she frowns. "Send Delwaith down, NOW!" Pheriannath saw the bobbling at the same time, and the brown starts going down in the air. Pheriannath shoots for the brown, carefully latching onto the safety straps built for a weyrlingmaster's purposes - but the brown is heavier than the green already, and Pheriannath bugles back to Kilaeuth. « Come, now! Get the other safety straps, glide in a circle downward. He's too heavy - and you stop struggling, you silly brown thing! »

Niva really wasn't expecting that, the gold reacting quicker then her rider, slipping out of the thermal and folding her wings to drop towards Pheriannath and the struggling brown, hesitating a long moment before Kilaueth grabs at the other set of safety straps, wings extending quickly to compensate for the other weight. Beginning the downward glide, she snorts. « Will you just hold still? » Niva's hands are still clinging tightly to the straps as she leans over slightly, peering downwards nervously as she does so. Least it wasn't her…

Away from Kilaueth, Pheriannath is gliding sideways, clinging to the left set of safeties, watching both the brown and the gold, chiding Delwaith again before Naia manages to calm him down - at least as much as he can be calmed. « Good - closer to the ground now - we'll turn to the opposite diagonal now - you'll land first - it is absolutely necessary that you land /softly/, and do not let go of the safety strap - not that I believe you will try to get away, Delwaith, but many weyrlings do no know better and panic, and your rider must be kept safe as well. » After this, Pheriannath starts to shift upward and changes her grip on the safeties, watching the gold carefully as the ground comes nearer.

Away from Kilaueth, Kilaueth isn't arguing. Amazing… But perhaps its the seriousness of the situation. The gold mentally nods, « I will do my best. And I won't. » She backwings carefully, landing softly for once, safety straps still held as Niva glances upwards at the weyrlingmaster patiently.

Away from Kilaueth, Pheriannath lands a moment after Kilaueth, holding down the safeties herself while Kirilla vaults over weyrling legs and unbuckles a shaken Naia, pulling the girl off her lifemate and onto the ground, then sending her out of the maze of legs and nods at Niva. "Good - get off now, tell Kilaueth to keep a grip while I check this wing. Actually, make yourself useful. Go find a Dragonhealer." In the meantime, Pheriannath bugles for the other weyrling, and Corlath and Z'mra are on the ground quickly, dismounted and returning to the barracks at Pheri's command.

Niva protests momentarily before sighing and quickly undoing her straps and slithering to the ground awkwardly, Kilaueth's usual help obstructed by the fact that the gold is occupied in holding the safeties. Hitting the ground, she's off running towards the main Weyr quickly. Kilaueth turns her head to regard the brown cautiously. « Don't worry. We're here. It will be good. » See? She can be calm when she wants to be. On occasion.

Kirilla nods slowly, then allows Pheriannath to slowly /slowly/ let up on the safeties, which Kirilla removes carefully. Pheri then nods slowly at Kilaeuth. « Let off, slowly. Do not panic, Delwaith. » The brown rumbles, but stays in place, wing stiff. Kirilla trudges for the barracks to put the straps away while a dragonhealer is summoned.

Niva returns, a dragonhealer on her heels, the weyrling peeling off to the side to stand near where C'ian is, watching from a distance as Kilaueth slowly releases the safeties as well, although she only moves far enough away to along examination of the wing, no further.

Pheriannath hovers nearby the dragonhealers while they examine her charge, then flutters back to Kilaueth and sends out a wave of amber, accompanied by pride. « Good job. You will make a fine gold yet. »

Kilaueth is a fine gold, darnit! And she stretches up to her full height for a long moment, preparing to say something before crouching back down and just watching. Best not to get in any fights, you know. Not til after graduation.

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